Sicily: Eagle theft and finch trade
In Sicily we are dealing with two issues at the same time: The theft of eagle chicks for falconers and animal collectors and the catching and trading of finches for the pet market.
Chick theft for falconry

Italy's last Bonelli's eagles, Lanner falcons and Egyptian vultures breed on Sicily. The populations of these species have shrunk dramatically in recent decades, and the Egyptian vulture is now on the verge of extinction. About 30 pairs of the Bonelli's eagle are still breeding in Sicily!
The reason for the decline of these species is, apart from habitat destruction and illegal hunting, above all the stealing of eggs! Ruthless animal dealers rob the nests in order to sell the highly-desired birds to falconers, bird collectors and other "animal lovers" for a lot of money. In recent years, a large network of smugglers has established themselves, who serve half of Europe from Sicily with eagles and other birds of prey.
In order to counter this worrying development, the "Coordinamento Tutela Rapaci Sicilia" group was formed in 2012 from various ornithological and nature conservation associations. The declared aim is to coordinate the monitoring of all nests targeted by nest robbers. The campaign has been a resounding success: the number of sightings has fallen drastically and the population of Bonelli's eagles has since stabilised.
Finch trappers and bird markets

On Sicily, Songbirds are still caught with mist nets. Finches such as goldfinches, linnets, green finches and hawfinches are particularly popular. The birds are sold locally to alleged "bird lovers", as well as buyers on the mainland of Italy and recently also on Malta. Maltese and Italian customs officers have already seized entire shiploads of finches to serve the bird trade in Malta.
The main trading centre for finches is the Ballaró Bird Market, located in the heart of Palermo. The narrow streets of the capital of Sicily which are firmly in the hands of organised mafia gangs. It is not surprising that the police in Palermo have other problems than the protection of nature and species.
Even in the 1990s there were evidence that hundreds of freshly caught wild birds change hands every week in Palermo. To this day, Ballaró is the most important outlet for trappers in Sicily. However, the clever bird trappers only come to the market with a handful of birds to network with bulk buyers. Often in Ballarò only the deals are agreed - money and birds change later in another location behind closed doors.
The authorities have watched the hustle and bustle for a long time. This changed in 2016 with a campaign in which CABS members were also actively involved. After some concrete intel from our work in Calabria was reported to the authorities, there were several spectacular raids on Palermo's bird market. The bird trade still continues there, but a good start has been made.